Bolam Lake Camping Paddock

View prices & book 9.8 207 reviews
Visitor image of the peaceful paddock & lovely views
Visitor image of the beautiful rainbow over the site
Green surroundings
Aerial view over the site

  • Dog-friendly wild camping site opposite Bolam Lake Country Park
  • A 25-minute drive from Hadrian’s Wall; 40 minutes from the coast
  • Barbecues permitted; walking/cycling routes and a food shop nearby
Wake up in peaceful paddocks surrounded by the Northumberland countryside and finish off the day with a lakeside walk. Bolam Lake Camping Paddock is a dog-friendly wild camping site opposite Bolam Lake Country Park, so head out in search of birds, picnic on the shores or grab a homemade scone from the café and visitor centre as you please. These paddock pitches are enclosed in a peaceful area next to a woodland where it’s pretty sheltered, and they have rather scenic views of the surrounding farmland. Still, while it may be pretty nicely tucked away, there’s still much to do out and about. Belsay, a scenic village with a small shop and café, is 45 minutes’ walk away (or a five-minute drive) and Ponteland is another spot with a selection of local shops, pubs, cafés, restaurants and takeaways. Of course, there’s Hadrian’s Wall too (Heddon-on-the-Wall is 25 minutes’ drive away). The splendid Northumberland coast is 40 minutes’ drive away, and to the north, the Scottish border is within reach too if you’re looking to cross into different territories. As for walking, well, there's certainly no shortage of trails around, including several routes that depart from the site. When you feel like mixing things up with a cycle instead, there are routes for both beginners and pros surrounding the site too. Wherever you end up during the day, you’ll likely want to make sure you’re back in time for sunset, as there are lots of ways to unwind – perhaps with a walk around the lake or knocking back a few burgers with a barbecue.

Site type

Motorhome pitches 4
Tent pitches 8
Caravans for hire 1
Open now
Opens 18 April
Please note
  • This site has no on-site shower facilities.
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Group bookings of 4 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the site are unlit.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 18 Apr to

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

  • 89%
    10
  • 1%
    9
  • 6%
    8
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  • 1%
    6
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    5
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    1
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
7

99% would recommend this site to a friend

98% would stay here again

What customers say

A beautiful, peaceful site offering gorgeous countryside views and proximity to Bolam Lake. Hosts David and Jill are consistently praised for their exceptional friendliness and helpfulness. Pitches are spacious and well-separated. Facilities, including portaloos, are noted as being immaculately clean and well-maintained. Horse neighbours and a calm atmosphere contribute to a highly recommended relaxing stay.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 21
Arrival date (latest first)

Great site, very well kept and owners are really helpful and approachable…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Nicola E.

Non-electric grass campervan pitch

Liked Great site, very well kept and owners are really helpful and approachable

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks for sharing your feedback and we are pleased that you enjoyed your stay.

Meeting the great people who stay with us is the most rewarding part of running our little campsite. It's important to us that our guests are comfortable and enjoy their stay so we are always around to help if it's needed.

Thanks for staying with us and we hope you visit the area again very soon.

Secluded location and great to be next to bolam lake woods. Clean facilities,…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Sean B.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Secluded location and great to be next to bolam lake woods.
Clean facilities, great for a quiet pitch up

Disliked Not sure if we just got unlucky but we were inundated with wasps which were a constant hindrance.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks so much for your feedback and we are pleased that you enjoyed your stay.

Our campsite is in a great location if you just fancy simple camping, a relaxing break and great views.

Bolam Lake Country Park is just across the road from our campsite and it's great for lovely walks, paddle boarding, fishing and there is a lovely coffee shop too.

Apologies if you were pestered by wasps - we have never encountered this before but there seems to be lots around the whole area at the moment.

Good pitch, friendly staff

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
7
Value for money
7
Accommodation
7
Facilities / Activities
7
Customer service
7
Child friendliness
7
Cleanliness
7
Wifi
No rating
Paul F.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked We ready enjoyed our stay. Very relaxed and family friendly. David was very helpful.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and we are pleased that you enjoyed your stay.

We are a Wanderlust site so we offer simple camping in the Northumbrian countryside. It's great to see everyone just relax and enjoy time together.

David is always on hand to help with tents, barbeques, fire pits etc and offer advice about where to eat, shop and great places to visit too.

Thanks for staying with us and we hope that you visit the area again very soon.

Was lovely place…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
5
Anonymous

Non-electric grass campervan pitch

Liked Was lovely place

Disliked The wasps there's 100s use washing up liquid and water and spray gets rid of them

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and we are pleased that you enjoyed your stay.

Sorry about the wasps - there seems to be lots about this year in this part of the countryside but we hope it didn't spoil your stay.

Thanks for staying with us and we hope you visit again in the future.

Beautiful site very well kept

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass campervan pitch

Liked Everything it’s such a well kept place toilets immaculate David in Jill are lovely David helped us with our awning he’s a beautiful guy so helpful in polite always there to help we had to leave same day family problems

Disliked Nothing at all

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks so much for taking the time to share your feedback and it was great to meet you.

We enjoy meeting our guests and we are always on hand to help if you need assistance with setting up when you arrive at the campsite.

We are sorry that you had to leave earlier but we hope that you visit again very soon.

Thank you and our very best wishes.

My self and family had brilliant stay David and Jill are very helpful

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
1
Julie C.

Non-electric grass campervan pitch

Liked Brilliant stay

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks so much for sharing your review and we are so pleased that you enjoyed your stay.

We enjoy meeting our guests and it's great to see families just relaxing and enjoying time in the countryside.

We hope that you visit the area again very soon.

Everything! There is absolutely nothing to fault. David and Jill were warm…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
8
Sasha H.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Everything! There is absolutely nothing to fault. David and Jill were warm and welcoming from the beginning right until the end of our stay. The site is very well maintained - toilets and sinks were always clean and the overall area/grass was upkept nicely. David and Jill offer a rentable firepit with everything required to make a fire, thoroughly recommend doing this as it truly makes the camping experience! All guests were respectful and plots were spaced comfortably apart. David and Jill were attentive to every guest, checking in mornings and nights and making sure everyone was okay and had everything that they needed. David and Jill provide their personal phone numbers for any issues/questions and are very quick and thorough at replying, allowing us to feel very safe during our stay. The gates to the site are closed (not locked) to allow for privacy during the night. We will 100% be back. The site is incredibly new-to-camping friendly. I was with a party of 4, and it was all of our first time camping and I’m very glad we chose this as our first place. You can tell that David and Jill have a passion for what they’re doing and the attention/care they give their guests makes the experience even more comfortable and enjoyable 😊 Thanks again!

Disliked Nothing.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks so much for your informative review and your very kind words.

It was great to meet you all and we are so pleased that your first camping trip was such a positive experience. We hope that you now feel confident to plan more camping adventures.

Thank you for staying with us and we hope that visit again soon.

Excellent site, will be back

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
10
Derek W.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Very enjoyable stay, owner was there to greet me and helped to set up.
Toilet and wash area were clean and well maintained.
Stayed with my granddaughter, we both had a lovely time.

Disliked Weather, but nothing to do with the site.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback as it always so helpful.

We are so pleased that you enjoyed your stay with us - clean, well maintained facilities are important as we want our guests to have a comfortable stay.

Sorry if the weather was not so kind for your trip but we hope you will be lucky next time:)

Hope you visit again very soon.

Lovely little campsite

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
10
Charlotte H.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked The views and the cleanliness
The owner very helpful

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks so much for sharing your review and we are pleased that you enjoyed your stay.

We are a small campsite but it's important to us that our facilities are clean, well maintained and that our guests have everything they need for a comfortable and relaxing camping trip.

Thanks for staying with us and thanks for sharing the great photos too.

Perfect for a relaxing night away

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
ANDREW C.

Non-electric grass campervan pitch

Liked Lovely site just across a quiet road from bolam lake. My daughter loved seeing the horses in the adjacent field

Disliked The lack of showers won’t suit everyone but doesn’t bother us if we’re just away for one night. Didn’t try WiFi so not sure if there was any but wouldn’t expect there to be!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank so much for sharing your feedback as we really appreciate it.

We are pleased that you enjoyed your stay.

We have older, retired horses who live with us and they like to say hello to their friendly camper neighbours :)

We are located in the heart of Northumbrian green belt land which limits the facilities that we can offer but guests who stay longer often take advantage of the excellent leisure centres in Morpeth and Ponteland for swimming sessions and showers.

We can offer spacious pitches, fresh water, washing facilities and very clean toilets which is great for short breaks.

Thanks for staying with us and we hope you visit again soon.


Features

Leisure on site

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Games room Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available Car parking by pitch/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Peaceful Wild camping

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Shop nearby

Type

Small (11-25 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Climbing nearby Cycling nearby

Location

Bolam Lake Camping Paddock

Belsay

Northumberland

England

NE20 0HE

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

55.1332°N
1.8688°W

Nearest transport

Coach
2.4 mi The Arcade
2.4 mi The Arcade
3.1 mi Road end
Rail
7.6 mi Morpeth Rail Station
9.2 mi Newcastle Airport Metro
9.4 mi Pegswood Rail Station
Ferry
19.1 mi North Shields Ferry Terminal
19.3 mi Newcastle International Ferry Terminal
19.4 mi South Shields Ferry Terminal
Airport
9.2 mi Newcastle International Airport

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

Want to feel like lord or lady for an afternoon? Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens (10 minutes' drive) should soon ignite that fantasy. The medieval castle and gardens are one of a couple of historic properties around. The National Trust’s Wallington (10 minutes) has cycle hire so that visitors can take in views of the historical house the traditional way. Hikes-wise, Shaftoe Crags (10 minutes) has a circular walk with plenty of bouldering spots along the way. Hike along the historic Hadrian’s Wall to Housesteads Roman Fort (40 minutes) too. For beach time, Blyth and Cresswell are both excellent sandy options, and both about 40 minutes away – the former has beach huts while the latter has sand dunes. Those with kids are likely to be keeping their eyes peeled for easy entertainment options too. Very handily, Whitehouse Farm Centre (20 minutes) runs animal feeding sessions as well as things like tractor rides, and Go Ape Matfen (25 minutes) has a treetop assault course for the extra brave. Newcastle upon Tyne city centre (half an hour) has plenty of family-friendly attractions to add to that.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Newbiggin South 14.3 mi Sea N/AGoodExcellentExcellent
Newbiggin North 14.6 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentGood
Blyth South Beach 14.8 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Druridge Bay South 14.8 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Seaton Sluice 15.8 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens 2.2 mi

George Stephenson's Birthplace 10.9 mi

Prudhoe Castle 11.6 mi

Cragside House, Gardens and Estate 12.5 mi

Chesters Roman Fort 12.9 mi

National Trust

Wallington 3.8 mi

Cherryburn 12.1 mi

Cragside 12.8 mi

Seaton Delaval Hall 15.1 mi

Holy Jesus Hospital 15.2 mi

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

Bolam Lake - Shaftoe Craggs circular 0.1 mi

BELSAY HALL 2.3 mi

Hartburn Circular 2.8 mi

CAPHEATON 3.2 mi

WALLINGTON 3.7 mi

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Want to know more about camping in Northumberland?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Bolam Lake Camping Paddock have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Bolam Lake Camping Paddock dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Bolam Lake Camping Paddock? Want to feel like lord or lady for an afternoon? Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens (10 minutes' drive) should soon ignite that fantasy. The medieval castle and gardens are one of a … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Bolam Lake Camping Paddock?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  Anytime
    Depart by:  12 p.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  Anytime
    Depart by:  12 p.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Bolam Lake Camping Paddock? From £25 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.